Kraft defends Vegemite iSnack2.0

SYDNEY: Kraft has defended its newly-named Vegemite spin-off, iSnack2.0, against consumer backlash, claiming that even if people don’t like the new name, they like the new product.

Kraft ran a three-month search asking consumers to name the new Vegemite product, a blend of Vegemite and cream cheese, unveiling the name iSnack2.0 in a campaign that launched with a TVC during Saturday’s (26 September) AFL grand final. 

Created by Kraft’s rostered creative agency JWT Melbourne, the TVC is supported by a one-off print execution that ran in newspapers today (28 September), with Mindshare Melbourne responsible for media.

"The name Vegemite iSnack2.0 was chosen based on its personal call to action, relevance to snacking and clear identification of a new and different Vegemite to the original,” said Kraft Foods head of corporate affairs Simon Talbot. “We believe these three components completely encapsulate the new brand.”

Talbot also added that the inclusion of 2.0 in the new name was a reference to the high number of contributions that came from online, “The majority of insights about the new name came from online suggestions and social media monitoring,” he said.

Talbot responded to the questions over the name by stating that even if consumers don’t like the new name, “fundamentally they like the new product.”

He added that the new blend had already sold 2.8 million units since its launch, with minimal cannibalisation of the original Vegemite product, and confirmed that iSnack2.0 will be a permanent addition to the Vegemite brand.